A Different Life: The Beginning
by GoddessOfMischief
Summary: What if Professor McGonagall had intervened in Dumbledore's plans after observing the Dursley's all day? Would Harry still have grown up with his muggle relatives or would a new family step in to raise "The Boy-Who-Lived"? **It all belongs to JKR. I'm just playing in the magical world she created***
1. Just the Beginning

"Albus, I cannot allow you to place this child with them! I've watched them all day and they are undoubtedly the worst sort of muggles imaginable!"

"But they are his family and it is where he shall be safest in the times to come," Albus Dumbledore replied to a nearly irate Minerva McGonagall as he took the sleeping infant from Hagrid's arms before Hagrid proceeded to take off on the flying motor bike once more.

"No Albus, I shall not let you do this! This boy will be famous – people throughout our world will know his name. He is already known to be magical so we cannot leave him here in the muggle world, and you know that as well as anyone!" Minerva hissed at Albus in a very cat-like fashion.

"My dear Minerva, I ensure you," he started before being cut off abruptly.

Minerva had pulled her wand out and was spinning it in a complicated pattern while stating clearly: "I Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to hereby claim Hadrian James Potter as a ward of the school!" A golden spark shot out the end of her wand, sealing her claim on the sleeping infant who was now being held in Albus's arms.

Albus, for his part, was in complete shock that his most trusted friend would go to such lengths to subvert his carefully formed plans. Harry must be removed from the wizarding world so as not to ruin his innocence! The fame would assuredly lead to arrogance and that could so easily turn one to the darker path and Albus could not let that happen. And yet, he found himself in an impossible situation. The magic that Minerva had called upon could not be revoked even using his position as Headmaster of the Hogwarts, and now that the process was started it must be followed through to the end. Sighing he glanced down at the still sleeping infant, the lightning shaped scar on his forehead stood out an angry red against his otherwise delicate face. "Very well Minerva, the guardianship has been claimed and now we must see it through. If you would be so kind as to return to Hogwarts with me, via Fawkes, we shall get him settled in."

Minerva granted her friend and mentor a curt nod and grasped Fawkes' tail feathers. Albus, Minerva, and Harry returned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a quiet night before what would undoubtedly be a busy month.

**SCENE BREAK**

Two days later (Monday) Albus received an early morning Floo call from Madame Mnemone Radford, Head of the Department of Magical Heritage. "Good morning Headmaster, I received some interesting paperwork and wished to come through to speak to you about it."

"Good morning Madame Radford, you may of course come through, simply give me a moment to call for Minerva as well," Albus replied.

Minerva arrived in his office after only a few short moments carrying a very awake baby Harry who at the moment appeared to be giggling as he played with the brooch on Minerva's robes. Both Albus and Madam Radford smiled at the sight as everyone got themselves situated.

"Good morning Minerva, Albus, as I can see the paperwork was not a hoax at all. Mr. Potter, is now an orphan and, as you claimed him as such Minvera, a temporary ward on Hogwarts until the Wizengamot can meet to decide his custody. May I ask what led to the decision to claim him as a ward instead of simply letting the Department of Magical Heritage take him?" Madame Radford asked most curiously.

"It was my decision Mnemone," started Minerva, "I felt as though, with everything going on right now, it would be safest to have him removed from the ministry until the custody hearing can decide his permanent guardians."

"Very well then- I have already sent out notices that there is to be a custody hearing on Friday at nine in the morning for one Hadrian James Potter, age one-year and three-months. I expect the full Wizengamot shall attend as we all have much to thank this little one for. Albus, I suspect you shall be presiding over the hearing?"

"Of course Madame Radford, I shall be delighted."

"I will be attending as well, Mnemone, I don't know if you will need my testimony or not but either way I will present Mr. Potter to the Wizengamot as his temporary guardian," added Minerva.

"It seems as though we have everything well in-hand then. I shall see you both Friday. And Minvera, if you would be so kind as to bring Mr. Potter by the Department around eight in the morning we can complete all the necessary paperwork before the custody hearing," finished Madame Radford. Seeing Minerva's nod of consent and Albus's nod of dismissal Mnemone Radford floo-ed back to her office to await the barrage of letters she knew would be coming regarding the upcoming hearing.

**SCENE BREAK**

The remainder of the week flew by with Harry Potter as the center. _The Daily Prophet_ was running non-stop, printing articles about "The Boy-Who-Lived". They had done biographical pieces on both James Potter and Lily Potter née Evans, the late Lord and Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and a brief biography of their only son Hadrian James Potter, Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Polls were being run to guess which Ancient and Noble House would assume guardianship over the young heir and in doing so would also assume guardianship over the Potter fortune, for it was a well-known fact throughout the wizarding world that the Potter's were the oldest and wealthiest family who could easily trace their magical/pure lineage back to the times of Merlin (making them an ancient house) and could also trace their magical/pure lineage within the United Kingdom back to the time of the Lords and Ladies of Hogwarts (making them a noble house). Rumors circulated regularly that the family was descended from both Merlin and Lord Gryffindor, and if that were ever to prove true then they would be considered the closest thing to royalty within the wizarding world.

Finally, as Friday morning dawned, the occupants of Hogwarts readied for their day. Minerva had, had several of the elves tending to Harry when she was occupied with schoolwork but had managed a break the previous day to take him into Hogwarts and order some new dress clothes for the youngster. She had been amazed to see that Harry was already displaying a firm grasp of magic as Harry summoned toys to play with, then banished them back to his little toy chest while being bathed. Curam, a young female house-elf, bathed Harry and dried him off before setting about dressing the toddler in proper wizarding attire. Minerva had very much enjoyed her afternoon of shopping with the little boy and had picked out a pair of black trousers, a soft white shirt, and an even softer emerald green jumper that matched the color of his eyes perfectly. His new dragon-hide boots and charcoal grey cloak with the Potter House crest emblazoned on it completed the outfit.

Knowing that this was bound to be a long day Minerva had dressed appropriately for both the formality of the event and for the comfort of a long day. Her own emerald green dress was made of beautiful crushed velvet and her black cloak acknowledge her position both as Master in the art of Transfiguration as the Deputy Headmistress of the most prestigious school for young witches and wizards in the United Kingdom.

Arriving at the Ministry of Magic via apparition Minerva carried Harry and headed straight to the Department of Magical Heritage where she was met by Madame Radford.

"Minvera, I am so pleased you could make it early this morning, we have a bit of paperwork to get through before the custody hearing."

"I must admit that I am quite surprised you are not stuck in your office, being hounded by dozens of requests to adopt the young Mr. Potter," Minvera smiled at Mnemone.

"You know very well that no one can request to take over the guardianship of an heir. All requests of the kind have been re-routed straight into the furnace and that is where they belong. We even had to close the session to the public. Only members of the Wizengamot and one reporter from _The Daily Prophet_ are allowed to attend, and only the Ancient and Noble Houses will be allowed to put forth petitions for guardianship. We felt it was the only way to keep this from becoming a complete circus, and thankfully Albus agreed, though he also set up a wireless to transmit an audio of the hearing. Goodness knows what the people will think when this is all said and done!" Mnemone finished with a bit of a whine in her tone.

The women, with a quiet but happy Harry, continued through the halls until they reached Madame Radford's office at the end. It was large but tastefully decorated in dark woods and a soft mauve. Once they had settled in Mnemone took little Harry's finger and gave it a quick prick with a needle she had set out, before Harry could fully register what had happened it was healed and he once again settled into Minerva's lap. A single drop of blood had fallen onto the sheet of gold-tinged parchment that was laid out and both ladies watched in amazement as it glowed gold and the blood spread out into a family tree, the writing grew tinier and tinier as more names were added until finally neither of the ladies could read anything. When the tree was completed the paper stopped glowing. Minerva could only watch in wonder as Madame Radford floated the paper over to an open wall and with a flick of her wrist enlarged it until it was completely readable. They both gasped and Minerva felt the blood drain out of her face.

"Mnemone, what does it mean?" she asked.

"It means, my dear Minerva, that this young man is even more important than anyone could have known," was her only response.

Harry began to fidget but neither Minerva nor Mnemone Radford could tear their eyes away from the family tree because at the bottom was something they thought they would never see:

_James Aedan Potter - Lillian Rose Potter n__é__e Evans  
Lord Potter Lady Potter (via marriage)  
Lord Merlin Lady Ravenclaw (via heritage)  
Lord Gryffindor Lady Slytherin (via heritage)  
Lord Hufflepuff Mistress of House Sperling (via heritage)  
Master of House Peverell 1 Jan 1960 – 31 Oct 1981  
27 Mar 1960 – 31 Oct 1981_

_Hadrian James Potter  
Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter  
Heir Apparent to the Most Ancient House of Merlin  
Heir Apparent to the Most Noble House of Gryffindor  
Heir Apparent to the Most Noble House of Hufflepuff  
Heir Apparent to the Most Noble House of Ravenclaw  
Heir Apparent to the Most Noble House of Slytherin  
Heir Apparent to House Peverell  
31 July 1980 –_

**SCENE BREAK**

It had taken several moments and a cry for attention from Harry before Minerva and Mnemone could tear their eyes from the Potter family tree. Now they stared at each other in silence as neither knew what to say about this newest development.

"Mnemone, why did no one know about this before? Surely James or his father would have taken a magical blood confirmation before ascending to Lord Potter, wouldn't they have?" She asked her long-time acquaintance.

"Both of the late Lord Potter's would have had to have given a magical blood confirmation before taking the role as Head of House but since they were past the legal age of majority they would have done so through the goblins, and not through this department. The Potter's must have known all along that they were the heirs and yet chose never to claim the titles or continue the lines separately for whatever reasons," Mneomne reasoned to Minerva and herself.

"Must this be brought before the entire Wizengamot? This hearing will be difficult enough with everything they are printing about Harry being 'The Boy-Who-Lived', Merlin only knows that if this information becomes public they will hark to him as if he were royalty."

"Unfortunately, since Mr. Potter is now an orphan, the Wizengamot must be made aware of all circumstances of his situation so that they may best decide his custody arrangements. I simply hope that they will reach an agreement that is best for young Mr. Potter," Mnemone finished solemenly.

**SCENE BREAK**

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good morning. Minerva had already disrupted his carefully laid plans and now, the entirety of the wizarding world would be tuning into the wireless to listen to the custody hearing that would decide the future of their world. For, though they did not know it Harry Potter was not only 'The Boy-Who-Lived' but would have to become the man who defeated Voldemort once and for all.

Luckily for Dumbledore he already had a well-formed idea of which of the twenty-one houses would petition for custody of the little Lord. Obviously none of the extinct lines (Merlin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin) could petition, and while bachelor houses (one where the Lord was not currently married) could petition Dumbledore highly doubted any would chose to attempt it knowing that they would be looked over in favor of a home with a Lord and Lady present. That meant that Black, Crouch, and Dumbledore were all but removed from the proceedings, and Albus highly doubted House Bones with Amelia serving as Lady and Head of House would be selected. Only eleven Ancient and Noble Houses remained in true competition since Potter was obviously disqualified: Bradley, Chambers, Diggory, Frobisher, Greengrass, Goldstein, Longbottom, Macmillian, Smith, Weasley, and Zabini.

Looking over the list Dumbledore prayed that they little boy's custody would fall into the hands of a light-bound family, particularly the Diggory's, Longbottom's, or Weasley's.

**SCENE BREAK**

The Wizengamot member seats were filled to capacity. Every house from the Ancient and Noble's down to the most recently appointed houses had sent their Head of House or proxy to attend what was quickly becoming the most talked about hearing of the war. It had eclipsed even the trials of the most notorious death eaters and the public had become ravenous for news.

Albus shot a shower of purple sparks into the center of the hall and the people started to quiet down. "Today on the 6th of November, 1981, I, Albus Dumbledore – Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot – do hereby call to order the custody hearing of Hadrian James Potter, Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, Heir Apparent to the Ancient House of Merlin, Heir Apparent to the Noble House of Gryffindor, Heir Apparent to the Noble House of Hufflepuff, Heir Apparent to the Noble House of Ravenclaw, Heir Apparent to the Noble House of Slytherin, Heir Apparent to House Peverell, and Heir Apparent to the House of Sperling."

As Albus finished reading Harry's titles you could have heard a pin-drop in the absolute silence that encased the room before suddenly everyone began speaking at once, raising their voices in an attempt to be heard. Albus himself was still in shock. Madame Radford had given him the results of the magical blood test only moment before he had to call the Wizengamot to order and he had had to ask her (multiple times) if she was sure the test had been done accurately. Madame Radford confirmed the test was accurate before settling herself down in the witness section where Minerva and Harry were already seated.

Finally, Albus regained control with a loud pop another shower of purple sparks. "Members of the Wizegamot, while this is a shock to us all, I ask that you maintain the dignity of this hallowed hall while we hear and discuss any petitions from the Ancient and Noble Houses. If any house wishing to petition would send up a spark…" Albus counted sparks from all fifteen eligible houses and sighed. "We shall go through the petitions in alphabetical order, each with thirty seconds if you please, starting with Lord Black."

Sirius Black, Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black rose and faced the Wizengamot. "Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, I am aware that as a bachelor you may find my situation an unsuitable one in which to care for and raise a child but I beseech you to hear me. I was close friends with the late Lord Potter since we began Hogwarts together and as James grew to know Lily I did as well. James and I were the best of friends, brothers, and Lily was like a sister who you could not help but love. I was there the day that Harry came into this world and I beseech you to allow me to raise the only child of my best friends. Thank you."

Next Amelia Bones, Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Bones, and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement stepped forward to place her petition. "Lords and Ladies, I am currently the guardian for my niece Susan Amelia Bones and as such have had a great deal of practice in raising a child. I also must add that as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement I am in the unique situation which could provide additional protection as needed to the young Potter scion."

The Wizengamot then heard from Lords Bradley, Chambers, Diggory, Frobisher, Goldstein, Greengrass, Macmillian, Smith, and Zabini who argued the presence of a Lord and Lady as well as children similar in age to Harry Potter made them the most eligible houses to raise Harry Potter in. Lord Crouch and Dumbledore both chose not to petition in face of such arguments knowing that they would never be chosen over the other houses.

Lady Augusta Longbottom sat proxy for her son who was in St. Mungo's with his wife recovering after a brief attack from Death Eaters immediately following the defeat of Lord Voldemort. At Dumbledore's acknowledgment she rose to face her peers. "Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot, it pleases me to be here in front of you in the wake of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name's end. I am sure that we all are in mourning for Lord and Lady Potter and yet we still must decide the fate of their only son and heir. I stand today in proxy for my son and his wife who are recuperating at St. Mungo's after being attacked by rogue Death Eater's following the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and I wish for you all to know they are well and will be returning home to their son tomorrow. Both Frank and Alice have fought for the light since graduating from Hogwarts, they have a strong bond, and are the parents of a son only a few days older that Mr. Potter. It is my truest belief that they will raise him in accordance with the wishes of James and Lily Potter, and that he will be raised in the custom befitting his status not only at the Heir Apparent to House Potter, but also his status as Heir to the Most Ancient House of Merlin and the Most Noble Houses of Hogwarts. Thank you all very kindly for your consideration in this most serious matter." Augusta finished before reseating herself.

Arthur Weasley had been about to petition, at the behest of his wife, but after hearing Augusta Longbottom he felt as though he no longer could do so to any effect. "Chief Warlock, As Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Weasley, I wish to retract my petition for custody of Hadrian James Potter." He sat down knowing that Molly would most likely be in one of her famous tempers when he returned home, but also feeling as though he had done the right thing.

As the members took up their magical quills for the first round of voting Dumbledore knew that he wished to have Harry placed with the Longbottom's and Augusta's poignant speech had sealed his decision. He could only hope that the other light families would see it was truly the best place to raise the young boy who would most likely become the future leader of their world. Looking out onto the Wizengamot he saw the complete anguish in the eyes of Sirius Black and only hoped that the Lord Black could look past his personal desires and chose what was truly best for the child.

The first votes came in and were announced: "Diggory- 1, Frobisher-1, Goldstein- 1, Greengrass- 1, Smith- 1, Zabini- 1, Bones- 3, Black- 3, Longbottom- 3. Lords and Ladies the next round of votes shall be between Bones, Black, and Longbottom with the respective Lords or Ladies not voting this round"

The second rounds of votes came in and were again announced: "Bones- 3, Black- 4, Longbottom- 5. Lady Bones you are removed from the ballot and the final round shall be Black and Longbottom."

The final rounds came through: "Black- 6, Longbottom- 7. Congratulations to the Lord and Lady Longbottom, you are awarded custody of Hadrian James Potter until he reaches the age of fifteen in which he may claim his titles. I would like to thank you all for your time and consideration in this matter and we are adjourned at this time." Dumbledore sent a final shower of purple sparks into the air and retired to his chambers to await the arrival of the dowager Lady Longbottom, Madame Radford, and Professor McGonagall who was still with Harry.

As the aforementioned women entered his office Albus, rose to greet them, "Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable and we shall go through any information required by Madame Radford."

"There is quite a bit to be done but we shall have to wait for Lord and Lady Longbottom to be released from St. Mungo's," Madame Radford replied with a brief glance to Augusta Longbottom who simply nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Until the oath of guardianship can be taken Harry is still a temporary ward of Hogwarts and is under your care. Madame Longottom, do you believe your son and daughter-in-law will be available Monday to complete the transfer in guardianshp? I can floo to your estate if that is more manageable."

"Frank and Alice will be home tomorrow so I cannot forsee any problems with Monday, Mnemone. Perhaps both you and Minerva can floo Mr. Potter directly to the Longbottom Estate at Brecon and we can go through all the necessary information over tea? As long as Minerva does not mind keeping Mr. Potter over the weekend."

Madame Radford and Minerva agreed that it would be the best solution and with that all three ladies departed Dumbledore's office. Albus shook his head and sent a prayer to Merlin that everything would go smoothly through the next ten-years.

**SCENE BREAK**

Minerva had spent a wonderful weekend with Harry who had continued to amaze and delight her with his intelligence and intuitive grasp of magic. He frequently floated books over to her and she would indulge him by reading them before Harry magic-ed them back onto the bookshelf. He would make stones in the castle glow different colors, and even turned his baked potato into mashed potatoes and gravy one evening at supper. He also managed to break her heart when she would hear him call out for James or Lily. Harry rarely ever cried but she could see his little eyes searching every room they entered for some sign of his parents.

Monday arrived quickly enough and Curam had again bathed and dressed Harry as Minerva had gotten ready for their day. They spent the morning packing the slew of outfits that Minerva had bought him and playing with toys which were not already packed. Shortly before tea-time Minerva floo-ed both Harry and herself to the Longbottom Estate at Brecon where she was welcomed by the smiling faces of Frank and Alice Longbottom and their son Neville.

"Lord and Lady Longbottom, I am happy to see you looking so well," Minerva stated formally.

"Oh none of that Minerva!" replied Alice as Frank just smiled on. "We've had a bit of a rough week but we're all right now, though absolutely heartbroken over James and Lily. Is that little Harry I see hiding under that cloak?"

Harry, having heard his name, glanced shyly at the lady. Alice Longbottom was petite at 5'3, with a soft, round face framed by blond hair and bright blue eyes. Her husband stood at only 5'9 and had sandy blond hair with blue eyes as well. The resemblance between the elder Longbottom's and their son was uncanny – he had his mother's face and his father's hair and both of their blue eyes which looked curiously at Harry who was set down on the floor next to Neville.

The adults continued to chatter over the heads of the two toddlers who were still looking at each other. They were distracted when Harry began to make floating blue orbs of light which he pushed towards Neville who in turn reached out and turned the orbs green before pushing them back towards Harry.

Frank and Alice were stunned before scooping up Neville and smothering him in hugs and kisses. "Minerva, he did it! He finally did magic! Oh," Frank scooped down and gave Harry a hug, "I guess he just needed someone to give him a push!" Alice swooped in with a kiss for Harry who looked happy to be receiving attention like Neville.

Madame Radford floo-ed in at the moment and was enveloped in the happiness of the couple and the children. Finally, as everyone settled down they adjourned to the sunroom for tea where Augusta joined them. She too was overwhelmed that Neville had finally preformed magic and rewarded him with an extra scoop of strawberries and cream.

Following lunch they all retired to Frank's office where Madame Radford, Frank, and Alice began by drawing their wands and holding then tip-to-tip. "Lord and Lady Longbottom, I am here today in my capacity as Head of the Department of Magical Heritage to oversee the transfer in guardianship of Hadrian James Potter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to the current Lord and Lady of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom. Francis Albert Longbottom and Alice Mary Longbottom née Brandon, Do you accept the guardianship of Hadrian James Potter, Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter; the Most Ancient House of Merlin; the Most Noble Houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slyterin; and to Houses Peverell and Sperling?"

"I, Lord Francis Albert Longbottom, Head of House to the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, do hereby accept the guardianship of Hadrian James Potter." A flash lit up the room as magic accepted the oath.

"I, Lady Alice Mary Longbottom née Brandon, of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, do hereby accept the guardianship of Hadrian James Potter." Another flash lit up the room as magic accepted the oath.

Madame Radford withdrew a series of parchments from her bag and indicated all the places in which Frank and Alice needed to sign. Finally, they had completed the forms. "The only thing left to do is for you to go to Gringotts and speak with the goblins to arrange for how Harry's accounts will be managed. I am not aware of whom the Potter account manager is but I am sure the goblins will be most cooperative. If there are no other questions I shall excuse myself, feel free to owl or floo with any additional questions or concerns." Seeing that everyone was settled with the situation Madame Radford returned to the front sitting room and floo-ed back to her office to file all the forms.

**SCENE BREAK**

The following week was a busy one for the residents of the Longbottom Estate. Tuesday, Frank and Alice left the boys in the care of Augusta so they could shop for Harry. The poor boy had lost absolutely everything in the fire that consumed his parent's temporary home. They had purchased everything necessary to make Harry a complete member of their family: bedroom furniture appropriate for a young child, toys, and clothing. Wednesday they found themselves at Gringotts for a joint meeting with the Longbottom and Potter account managers.

Walking into Gringotts neither bothered to stop in at the tellers, they instead headed for the end of the long row, straight to the desk with an older goblin seated up high.

"Good afternoon, we are here for an appointment with Ukkon," Frank said as the goblin stared down at him.

"One moment," the goblin replied as he jotted something down in the large book in front of him. Snapping it closed he came down from his seat, "right this way Lord and Lady Longbottom."

Frank and Alice followed the goblin down the hall and into a beautiful office. A large, ornate desk sat on towards the back of the room with several plush chairs in front of it. Off to the one side of the room was a seating area with beverage service, and on the opposite side was a large table with a stool tucked in the corner. Two goblins sat behind the desk, one of which they recognized immediately as Ukkon, their account manager.

"Greetings Lord and Lady Longbottom, and congratulations on assuming the guardianship of Heir Potter," Ukkon inclined his head towards them. "I would like to introduce you to Vidarr, account manager to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, the Most Ancient House, the Most Noble Houses, and the Houses of Peverell and Sperling." The other goblin inclined his head towards the now seated couple as Ukkon continued, "We have much to discuss this afternoon and Vidarr shall start."

"Lord and Lady Longbottom, the late Lord and Lady Potter's have historically remained silent on their ancestry but since your government has felt the need to reveal it during their placement of Heir Potter we here at Gringotts are worried about the possibility of this news destabilizing the financial security of our world. Heir Potter will inherit the largest amount of gold known to the wizarding world. The family has always known this, hence, why it has remained private until now. We do have on file an official statement from the late Lord and Lady Potter regarding the management of their estate and their son's trust."

"Thank you Vidarr," replied Frank. "I can only imagine the length of the document so could you perhaps give us a brief overview of their wishes and we can go from there?"

Vidarr pulled a large roll of parchment to himself before beginning. "James and Lilly Potter declared that their physical assets, with the exception of the Potter Family's ancestral home which includes the contracts of 65 house-elves, should be placed in stasis until their heir Hadrian Potter reaches the age of ascent. These assets include 7 ancestral manors, 3 flats, and 11 holiday homes. All 65 house-elves are bound to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and they are currently located at Potter Manor where they will maintain the house and grounds. All vaults here at Gringotts, with the exception of Heir Potter's trust vault, are to be maintained with their current investments. Heir Potter's trust vault is currently set up with 100,000 galleons that will automatically reset to 100,000 on the 1st of each year via the Potter Family Vault. Also, Heir Potter's attendance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is already confirmed."

Frank and Alice looked at each other in disbelief. The Longbottom family was a very wealthy Ancient and Noble house but the Potter family completely dwarfed them in comparison. Leaving 100,000 galleons in the hands of a child was something completely unheard of in the wizarding world and yet they both knew that Harry would have to grow up knowing how to handle that sort of wealth.

Ukkon had drawn out papers and the rest of the morning was spent looking over account statements and signing over the accounts, though Frank and Alice had agreed to follow the wishes of James and Lilly they still had to take over guardianship of the vaults until Harry came of age.

When they finally returned home it was to a new routine with their two little boys, not knowing what the next 14 years would hold.


	2. A Flurry of Owls

Three months had passed since Harry had joined the Longbottom family and it had certainly been both entertaining and heat-breaking. Alice and Frank's hearts broke whenever they would catch Harry looking about the room, searching for his parents. At night he would cry for his mummy and though he would soon soothe while being rocked back to sleep it made Alice's heart ache deeply for all that little Harry had lost. Day time was the best and accidental magic was quickly becoming a rather common event at Longbottom Manor. Harry had always been prone to bouts of accidental magic but Neville, who prior to Harry's arrival had never performed a single act of magic, was shining. The bubble game was his favorite and he delighted in trying to change the colors of Harry's bubbles or popping them with a mad wave of his hand

However, it was at the morning of March 7th that brought the most excitement to the house. That morning owls had begun appearing as early at 5 AM, dropping their post onto the breakfast table. By 7 AM when Augusta, Frank, and Alice arrived in the breakfast room the table was completely covered in letters with no apparent end in sight as more owls flew about the room.

"What on earth?!" exclaimed Alice as she reached for one of the letters. Frank and Augusta did the same, each opening and reading through a separate letter.

"My god, do these people have no decency?" Augusta declared, tossing the letter back onto the table in disgust. "He's but a baby! Any proper betrothal contract would not be started until the child has turned seven at the earliest!"

Alice had paled as she read through another letter and dropped herself into a chair at Augusta's proclamation. "Betrothal contracts? What on earth are people thinking?"

"My dear, let's not play at naivety. We all knew very well that taking in Harry would be a large responsibility and that was before his numerous titles were made public. People are obviously trying to secure a place in the highest echelons of our society and they're doing so in the most binding of ways." Frank replied solemnly to his wife. "The house elves can sort the mail out this morning and we should start going through it this afternoon. I feel as though we should create a generic reply to send out since the majority of these should be from newer families and handle the Ancient or Noble families as needed."

Alice and Augusta nodded in consent to Frank's opinion before Alice ran back upstairs to collect the boys who were by then up and dressed by their nanny elves.

As everyone situated themselves at the breakfast table house elves appeared with plates of food. Breakfast was the typical affair with poached eggs, rashers of bacon, sausages, potato cakes, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, buttered toast, and tea. Harry and Neville were each assisted by their nanny elves that cut up bits of food and wiped down the boys' faces so they did not get themselves too dirty at the table.

Once breakfast concluded the boys were taken back upstairs to their playroom and the adults adjourned to the library where the mail was being sorted into piles. Regular mail to the Longbottom's had been stacked neatly on top of Frank's desk while the rest had been placed into piles on various side tables throughout the large library. Frank sorted briefly through his daily mail as Alice and Augusta toured the other piles determining what was what.

"It appears as though there are several letters addressed to each of Mr. Potter's various titles and additionally there appear to be several letters here addressed to Neville as well," concluded Augusta.

"My goodness! How will we ever manage to go through them all?" was Alice's only reaction.

"First, let's compose a general reply to send to the newer houses and then we can go from there," replied Frank as they all gathered around his desk.

An hour later all three adults had finally agreed on a final statement that would be sent in response to the majority of the letters. It read:

_7 March 1982  
Dear _,  
The Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom has received the proposed betrothal contract for your daughter _ to their ward Hadrian James Potter, Heir Apparent to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter; the Most Ancient House of Merlin; the Most Noble Houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin; and to Houses Peverell and Sperling. At this time we wish to inform you that, per tradition, no betrothal contracts will be entertained for Heir Potter until his seventh birthday.  
Cordially,  
Lord Francis and Lady Alice  
the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom_

A similar letter was drawn up for Neville and then began the process of sorting through the mail. Augusta combed through the stacks and was pleased to see that none of the Ancient or Noble houses had been foolish enough to send a contract. Alice waved her wand and produced replies to each of the proposals for Neville and sent them off with one of the family owls before turning to the other piles and creating responses for them. Three other owls were sent off with piles of letters which would be met with disappointment by the families receiving them.

Finally, Frank was finished sorting through the various letters and statements that he had received. Looking up he noticed that Augusta had left and Alice was seated on one of the plush arm chairs across from his desk, reading an article in _The Daily Prophet_.

"Well my dear, I think it may be prudent to at least start considering what we will do as the boys get older. While I would much rather allow them to meet someone and fall in love I fear that protecting their interests will have to come first."

Alice put down the paper and appeared to think momentarily. "I know that I want both Neville and Harry to find happiness as we did but you are correct. But, perhaps we should consider pushing back betrothals to a later time? Say once the boys are thirteen or so? That at least would give them the opportunity to meet witches at Hogwarts and perhaps become acquainted with someone before a formal contract is drawn up."

"My only fear is that with Harry's titles we will have to do something to protect him from young women who only desire his position. Maybe we should consider betrothals for Merlin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. That would leave Potter and the minor houses for Harry to do as he pleases with. Realistically he wouldn't even have to marry for House Perevell or House Sperling. A second son from any of his lines could easily inherit those houses" Frank mused aloud.

"Are we sure that he will even want to re-establish separate lines?" asked Alice.

Frank's face grew grave, "I'm afraid he'll have very little choice in the matter. Since it is now public knowledge he will be all but forced to ensure the continuity of the various lines through individual marriages."

They sat in silence for several moments before Alice perked back up, "at least the boys will be in similar situations as the rest of the pureblood families if we do find it more prudent to go through with traditional betrothal contracts."

Frank nodded before leading Alice out of the library.


	3. A Midsummer Ball

It was a wizarding tradition stretching back to the times of Merlin that each of the Ancient and Noble Houses took turns hosting balls for the eight pagan holidays which were still celebrated by the majority of witches and wizards in the British Isles. This year was especially exciting for the residents of Longbottom Manor as they were hosting the Midsummer ball. Augusta had been in her element helping Alice to plan the ball. Invitations had been sent to all of the wizarding houses – Ancient, Noble, or new – it did not matter. The responses had been overwhelming but unsurprising. Not a single family declined the invitation and it was, sadly, speculated throughout the household that everyone simply wanted the opportunity to impress the guardians of Heir Potter. But while that put a slight damper on the overall tone it did nothing to stop the constant activity in the house.

The morning of the ball dawned bright and beautiful. House elves were busy in every corner of the mansion. One team was scurrying about cleaning every speck of dust from the manor. Another group was creating elegant arrangements of calendula marigolds which would be placed in every room of the manor. Several elves were outside stacking up wood for the bonfires which would have to stay lit all night. And yet more were in the grand ballroom setting up for the dinner that would take place prior to the dancing.

Frank, Alice, and Augusta spent the morning with Neville and Harry playing out in yard. The boys were both incredibly active and spent the better part of the day simply running about, chasing squirrels and rabbits whenever they caught sight of them. At noon an entourage of elves arrived, carrying picnic supplies which were promptly set up. A lovely luncheon occurred before the nanny elves whisked the boys away for an afternoon nap.

"I hope this goes well," mused Alice quietly to her husband.

Frank smiled down at her, "Everything will be fine darling. You and mother have everything perfectly planned and if I may say, the manor looks better than I've ever seen it at Midsummer!"

All too soon Frank found himself at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for his lovely wife, his mother, and his two sons to appear. Glancing in the mirror he adjusted his navy blue dress robes. They had been a Christmas present from Alice and were emblazoned with a peacock on the back which he found to be a pleasing touch to the otherwise simple but extremely comfortable robes. The click of heels on the marble steps alerted him that one of the ladies was coming down. Sure enough, it was his mother, who was dressed in a conservative mauve gown with a high neck and long, fitted sleeves, but the diadem adorning her head was what caught his eye. It was not the Longbottom tiara, but a newer much simpler one. He bowed and took her arm.

"Mother you look wonderful this evening, but where is the Longbottom tiara?"

"Oh, you shall see!" she replied with a wink before continuing onto the hall where she would join her son and daughter-in-law to greet their guests.

Frank turned back to the stairs just in time to see Alice and the boys come down. Alice was dressed in a lovely purple gown. The boat neck gave way to sleeves which fell off her shoulders and the natural waistline and ballroom skirt only accented her petite frame. It was only after kissing her check that he noticed the tiara perched atop her head.

"I see mother finally decided to pass on the family jewels," he teased.

Alice giggled, "You know very well that they weren't mine until our fifth wedding anniversary!"

It was then that Neville decided he was tired of being ignored and started to chatter away.

"And look at our handsome boys!" Alice declared.

Handsome they were. Neville was dressed smartly in miniature dress robes that matched his father's while Harry was in soft charcoal – his family coat of arms adorning the left breast.

"Neville, Harry you both look dashing!" Frank complimented.

Frank led Alice and the boys into the ballroom where Augusta joined them. Once they were properly assembled the floo in the nook off the foyer started turning green – the party was starting.

Frank, Alice, and Augusta welcomed their guest as they floo-ed and apparented into the main foyer before a house elf ushered them into a formal sitting room set up for cocktails. Finally, the last guest had arrived and it was time to enter the dining room. As everyone filed in Frank walked Alice to the head of the table, followed by Augusta with one little boy on each arm.

Frank cleared his throat slightly, muttering a soft _sonerous_. "Happy Midsummer everyone!" he called. "I wish to thank you all for your attendance on this most happy of our holidays! My wife and I are pleased to have you join us for our celebration. Please take your seats and dinner will be served promptly".

As soon as the last guest was seated a beautiful crab stuffed squash blossom appeared on each plate to start the meal. It was a grandiose affair with nine courses served. The topics at various tables included everything from family discussions, to politics, to curiosity about the chance of meeting Harry Potter up close. For their party the Longbottom's spent the meal discussing the holiday itself and some of the preparation that had been done to the manor with their table mates.

Before long the plates were cleared away and the children were being escorted to a smaller room off the main ballroom- so that they could be entertained by various elves without interfering with the remainder of the adults evening. As Alice and Frank made the rounds, there seemed to be a common theme among many of the newer houses: a curiosity about their ward and, to a lesser degree, a curiosity about their own son. They also heard over and over the qualities of various young witches and how, hopefully, they children may be introduced as playmates. On the other side of the ballroom the Dowager Lady Longbottom had managed a semi-private moment with Lord Sirius Black.

"Lord Black, if I may ask, what is your interest in Harry Potter?" Augusta asked rather bluntly.

"My Lady Longbottom, if I may be blunt?" at Augusta's nod Sirius continued, "I do not have any designs on Harry, I merely wish to remain a part of his life as James and Lily were two of my dearest friends."

Augusta peered at Sirius intently, and seemed to find his words nothing but honest. "Well then, perhaps we can arrange a luncheon for some time next week? Neither I nor my son and his wife wish to deprive Hadrian of whatever links to his parents that he may have."

Sirius smiled in relief, "Thank you Lady Longbottom, you are most kind and have brought some peace to me. Though James and Lily are gone I can carry on their memory by ensuring that Harry knows who his parents were. Not just their names and how their actions saved him, but who they were as school-children and as friends."

Smiling, Augusta bade him farewell, and continued her rounds. Soon, she was seething inside, hearing the not-so-subtle comments from various families looking already to ensnare her grandson or little Harry Potter. _Really, do these people have absolutely no decency?! Their own children are but babes in their mother's arms and already they offer them up as brides!_

Frank and Alice had their own thoughts running through their mind after a very enlightening discussion with Minerva McGonagall...

"Frank, Alice, I know this may not be the best time but there is something that I have been meaning to say to you," Minerva said as she approached her hosts.

"Of course," replied Alice as she led them off to a slightly quieter corner.

"I have fretted about this quite a bit over the past few weeks and tried to come up with some sort of reasonable excuse for his behavior but I cannot find any reason for Albus," Minerva said hesitatingly.

"Minerva, whatever it is I'm sure Albus had a good reason for his actions," started Frank.

"That's just it, I have known the man almost my entire life and I cannot think of even one good reason for his actions. You see, after Jams and Lily's death Albus attempted to place Mr. Potter with Lily's muggle sister and her family. And while it is completely unheard of for a wizarding child to be placed with muggle relatives what truly bothers me is that he attempted to do so secretly. I feel that if Albus would have succeeded that he also would have succeeded from cutting Mr. Potter off from the wizarding world."

"Good Gods, what was he thinking?" asked Alice with a horrified look.

Frank looked equally horrified with the notion of a wizarding child, particularly one from an Ancient and Noble House, being placed with muggles and the idea that Albus Dumbledore attempted such a breach in wizarding law. Taking a minute to gather himself Frank replied, "Thank you very much for this information, Minerva, as you well know the House of Longbottom has no official alliance with House Dumbledore but we have backed Albus through this war. Alice and I shall have to discuss things but this lends a new perspective to the situation."

"Of course, I simply wished to express my concerns and let you both know the circumstances that led to Mr. Potter's arrival in your home."

"Thank you," said Alice before the little group broke up to continue socializing.

The rest of the night continued on with dancing til 2 AM. When the last guest had finally departed the Longbottom's retired with many thoughts on their collective minds.


	4. Padfoot for Tea

**The reviews have been absolutely fabulous. I enjoy reading them all and responding via PM. This story is basically developing as I gain inspiration so if you ever have an idea or something you'd like to see feel free to review or PM me – no promises I'll include it in the story but I love a good discussion.**

**xoxo  
Goddess of Mischief**

….

Sirius Black was incredibly nervous – it was the first time that he would be seeing his godson since James & Lily's death. He had agreed to a luncheon at Longbottom Manor which also had his anxiety up a bit. The Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom and the Ancient and Noble House of Black had not socialized informally for several hundred years. This break in precedent marked a new chapter for his house – hopefully one with a brighter future. Taking one last deep breath Sirius stepped through the floo. He reappeared in the fireplace nook off the foyer of Longbottom Manor.

Alice stepped forward to greet him. "Lord Black, welcome back to Longbottom Manor!" she said with a bright smile.

"Lady Longbottom, it is a pleasure to see you again s soon. The Midsummer Ball was absolutely lovely," Sirius replied as he grasped Alice's hand, bowing slightly to place a light kiss on it before releasing her.

"You are too kind. Harry is with Neville in their playroom. If you'll just follow me we can collect the boys for lunch."

Sirius soon found himself in the chaos that was the boys' playroom. It was a large and sunny room with several arts and crafts tables littered with various bits of paper. A magical toy train travelled around the upper part of the room – puffing steam and tooting every few minutes. A sand table stood off to one side with a half-falling sandcastle in it. Cubbies with large boxes of toys ran along one wall and a bookshelf and comfy sofa were situated in another section. But the center of the room drew Sirius's attention before he could notice any of the toys. There sat his godson racing wooden cars along a ten-foot track with Neville. Sirius felt his eyes getting misty as he looked over the young boy. Harry looked much the same as he had before that tragic night, except for a lightning bolt scar that stood out against the creamy skin of his forehead.

"Harry, there's someone here to see you," Alice said softly as she approached the toddlers.

Harry turned his head to look at Sirius. He put down his wooden car and simply sat – staring at the older man. Finally, he stood up and approached Sirius who knelt down as to be closer to Harry's level. Harry reached a small hand out to touch Sirius's face then gently tugged a piece of hair that had fallen loose from the low pony tail that contained the rest of Sirius's shoulder length black hair. "Padfoot?" he asked with a wavering voice.

"Yeah pup, its me. Its Padfoot." Sirius replied as tears started to fill his eyes.

"Padfoot!" Harry yelled in exuberance as he jumped onto Sirius, catching him off guard and causing them to rock back and forth as Sirius regained his balance.

"Padfoot and Moon!" Harry yelled again, looking behind Sirius as if he expected to see someone else.

"Sorry pup, no Moony today," Sirius said causing Harry's attention to turn back to him.

"No moon?" Harry asked.

"No Moony," Sirius confirmed before listening to Harry chat away about his toy car.

Alice scooped up Neville and after Sirius had been introduced they headed out to the veranda for lunch with both boys. They were joined by Augusta who was pleased to see Harry in such good spirits and Sirius's obvious love for the boy.

Sirius entertained Alice, Augusta, and the boys with the story of how he had met James Potter on the Hogwarts Express the day they both started Hogwarts. "So, James had set up a dung bomb to go off in the Prefects Compartment and I happened to wander by just in time to catch the excitement. Of course, we didn't count on them running out of the compartment quite that quickly so James and I had to tear down the corridor until we found a compartment that was only half-full. We stumbled in, and basically fell on top of Remus and Peter. The look on their faces was completely priceless. Once we managed to get settled down a bit and introductions were made it was all good. We ended up taking the same boat up to the castle and were all sorted into Gryffindor. After that – the rest is history."

Alice giggled at the past antics– having remembered the dung bomb incident since she was only two years above the infamous Marauders. They had made a name for themselves quickly and were still remembered in the castle for their pranks. Augusta allowed a small smirk to grace her features as Sirius regaled them with another story of his childhood antics with James Potter. But, before long lunch was over and Neville and Harry were becoming quite grumpy as they stayed up past their typical nap time. Sirius followed Alice down a corridor as he carried Harry up to his room. Placing the now sleeping toddler in his little bed Sirius couldn't help but place a soft kiss on his forehead before allowing Alice to walk him back to the foyer so he could floo out, but not before she invited him to the boys joint birthday party that would be held on the 30th of July since the 31st had been declared a national holiday: The Defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

…

At Hogwarts Minerva left Albus's office more irritated with him than ever before. Albus had invited her for tea but it had turned into an interview of sorts with his usual subversive behavior. Tea had started pleasantly enough as they discussed their favorite moments of the past school year and some details for the upcoming year.

It had started to turn sour when Albus had brought up the events that had occurred prior to Harry's placement with the Longbottoms… He began questioning her, using his kindly, grandfather-type voice, about whether Harry's blood tree had shown anything else of interest (because clearly the revelation that one family held the titles to the Most Ancient and all four Most Noble Houses wasn't enough!). Then he had questioned if she had any knowledge of James and Lily's will. Followed by a question of whether or not anything odd had occurred when she took Harry to Longbottom Manor to complete the transfer of guardianship.

Minerva simply answered in her rather dry manner before becoming irritated asking pointedly if there was a reason for Albus's curiosity. Her comment had apparently gotten the point across as Albus dropped his questions and they returned to speaking about the school.


End file.
